Behind the Line

For the last 18 years...Skip Bayless has built a television career by tearing down LeBron James. It's become what he's most known for...his ridiculous critiques of LeBron. We rarely defend LeBron on this channel...but today we're doing just that.

We go over comments made by Skip Bayless this morning on Undisputed...in which he makes the claim that the Clippers comeback against the Mavericks in the first round was more monumental than LeBron's comeback against the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

We explain why it's unlikely Skip Bayless really believes what he's saying...and how that's one of the problems with talking heads on ESPN and Fox Sports 1. 

The NBA and the woke sports media are claiming that ratings for the playoffs are significantly increasing. However...they're not telling you the whole story. NBA ratings for the playoffs are up over 2020....but they're down when compared to 2019.

We analyze the most recent release of the ratings for the playoffs...and show how the NBA is no longer the second most popular sports league in the country. We provide several reasons for the ratings decline in the NBA.

We also react to recent comments made by a current NBA general manager...who said player empowerment is the worst thing to happen to professional sports.

Kelly Stewart...also known as Kelly in Vegas...has made a nice career for herself in the sports betting industry. In the last few years...ESPN has begun to cater more to sports bettors as gambling has become more accepted in the mainstream.

They hired Kelly in Vegas to host a sports betting show...then immediately fired her. The reason for the firing...Kelly in Vegas used anti-gay slurs in tweets from almost a decade ago. She was essentially canceled for not being woke.

We explain the Kelly in Vegas firing by ESPN...and how it once again shows woke hypocrisy. We also how how firing Kelly in Vegas isn't "equality"...which is what ESPN is supposedly fighting for.

Over the past year...Clay Travis has grown his audience exponentially by being the lone voice in mainstream sports media speaking out against wokeness. He's grown to the point where he was able to sell Outkick to Fox Sports.

It was recently announced that Clay Travis would be joining Buck Sexton...and they would replace Rush Limbaugh in his afternoon drive timeslot on conservative talk radio. Travis' show has become more political as sports has been politicized...so in a way...the move makes sense.

However...is Clay Travis making a mistake? We answer that question...and explain why this career move is going to be an uphill battle for Clay Travis.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs Thursday by the Phoenix Suns in convincing fashion. Their season is officially over...but is the season the only thing over in Los Angeles?

We look into the Lakers' future...and explain why this will be a rough couple of years in Los Angeles. We look into the Anthony Davis trade a couple of years ago...and explain why long-term it was a mistake.

We also outline how LeBron James is rapidly losing his battle with Father Time...and Anthony Davis doesn't have the ability to take over once LeBron eventually retires.

With the latest woke outburst by Stephen A Smith on ESPN Wednesday morning...we decided to dive into the history of wokeness at the network. Although ESPN dove head first into the woke pond last summer...they'd been flirting with the idea of being fully woke for a decade.

We highlight several instances over the past 10 years that show ESPN was dipping their toes into the woke pond. We follow these instances all the way to the present...and show the disastrous impact it's having on ESPN's television ratings.

We also show the impact being woke is having on ESPN Radio. ESPN Radio used to be mainstream and the go-to source for sports talk radio. In 2021...they're struggling to survive.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are headed to Phoenix tonight...to be eliminated from the NBA Playoffs. The same problems that have plagued the Lakers all season have become magnified in the postseason.

The 30 point loss to the Suns Tuesday night was the symptom to the Lakers problems. We explain the myriad of issues facing this roster...and how there's no solution in place in the short-term.

We also explain how LeBron James and Anthony Davis leaving Game 5 early Tuesday night is a sign of the Lakers biggest problem...no team unity.

If Stephen A Smith maintained a little bit of credibility going into yesterday...then he quickly lost all of it on ESPN First Take. Because once again...Stephen A Smith wrongly accused someone who got a position of using his white privilege to do so.

After Danny Ainge stepped down in Boston...former Celtics coach Brad Stevens was promoted. This caused Stephen A Smith to lose it on the air...eventually becoming so "angry" he stormed off the set.

We explain why Brad Stevens getting promoted isn't white privilege. We also look into recent comments from Jason Whitlock regarding Stephen A Smith...and explain why Jason Whitlock is speaking the truth.

For months...we've been saying the NBA should be marketing the league around Steph Curry instead of LeBron James. This was just a premise...we didn't have hard proof that this should be happening...until now.

We review a study from the Sports Business Journal...which analyzed NBA ratings in local markets for the 2020-21 season. We reveal the top rated teams in the NBA...and explain what they have in common.

We also show how LeBron James and the Lakers aren't even the most watched team in the Los Angeles market. We explain why Adam Silver needs to promote Steph Curry and the Warriors next season...and how the league should distance itself from LeBron James.

We say on here all the time...wokers want to implement rules for you and I to follow. However...the wokers follow a different set of rules. This was made abundantly clear with Adam Silver and the NBA's front office response to Kristaps Porzingis and LeBron James breaking the COVID-19 protocol.

Both players broke protocol last week. Porzingis was fined $50,000...LeBron James wasn't even given a slap on the wrist. Both Adam Silver and the woke sports media covered for LeBron James. 

We explain why LeBron was given a pass...and we also look into recent comments made by LeBron's agent Rich Paul. Who makes the claim that he doesn't have many white clients because he's African American.